How to Unlock a PDF and Remove Its Password (Legally)

To unlock a PDF, open it with the password you were given and save a copy without the protection, or run it through an unlock tool and type that password once. If the file opens freely but will not let you print or copy, it only has a permissions (owner) password, which an unlock tool can usually lift without typing anything. Do this only for files you own or are entitled to open.

PDF passwords cause two very different kinds of frustration. Some files will not open at all until you type something, like a bank statement that arrives by email. Others open fine but grey out Print or Copy. They are different locks, they need different fixes, and one of them cannot be removed without the password at all. This guide explains both, shows how to remove a password you already know, and covers the legal side plainly.

Note: This guide is for documents you own, documents sent to you with their password, and documents you otherwise have the right to use. It is not a way into someone else's protected file, and it is not legal advice.

Key takeaways

• A PDF can have a Document Open password, which is needed to view it, and a Permissions password, which restricts printing, editing and copying (Adobe).
• Removing an open password needs the password. No legitimate tool can skip it, and Siliph does not guess or crack passwords.
• Siliph's Unlock PDF removes an open password you type in, and clears print, copy and edit restrictions without one. It is free with no account.
• Paid Acrobat and Mac Preview can also remove protection once you know the password.
• After you have done what you needed, put a fresh password back on with Protect PDF before you send the file on.

Open password or permissions password

Adobe describes the two types this way: a Document Open Password "Requires you to enter a password to open and view the PDF, restricting access to its contents", while a Permissions Password "Allows you to restrict certain features in the PDF, such as printing, editing, copying content, and adding comments" (Adobe). You will also see them called the user password and the owner password. Apple's Preview uses the same split: one password to open the file, and an owner password that controls printing, copying text and adding annotations (Apple).

When unlocking is fine, and when it is not

Unlocking is routine for your own files and for files sent to you with their password. Typical cases are a bank or card statement you want to merge with other documents, a payslip you need to upload to a portal that rejects encrypted files, or a contract your own company protected years ago.

It is not fine to remove protection from a document someone else locked when you were not given the right to use it in that way. Doing so may break the terms you received it under, and in some countries laws on circumventing access controls can apply. If a file you need is locked and you do not have the password, ask the sender for an unprotected copy or for the password. That is faster than any workaround and keeps you on solid ground.

How to unlock a PDF with Siliph

1. Open Unlock PDF and click Choose PDF files, or drop the file into the upload area. You can add up to 50 files and 2 GB per task.
2. If the file asks for a password when it opens, type that password into the PDF password field. If it opens freely but blocks printing or copying, leave the field empty.
3. Click Unlock PDF.
4. Download the unlocked copy and open it once to confirm there is no password prompt and that Print and Copy work.

The password you type applies to every file in the task, so group files by password. A wrong password ends the task with an error rather than producing a file. Small files are unlocked in your browser; larger ones travel over an encrypted HTTPS connection, are decrypted automatically with no human access, and are deleted from Siliph's servers within 2 hours. Searches for Remove Password from PDF open this same tool.

Remove a PDF password with software you already have

Adobe Acrobat (paid)

Adobe's steps in Acrobat on the desktop: select All tools > Protect a PDF, then Set security properties, open the Security tab and choose Change Settings. "To remove the document open password, deselect Require a password to open the document." "To remove the permissions password, deselect Restrict editing and printing of the document." Type the permissions password if prompted, then save the PDF (Adobe).

Mac: Preview

Open the PDF in Preview and enter its password. Apple's guide shows that after an owner password is set, you can choose File > Edit Permissions to change the password options, including Require Password To Open Document (Apple). Clear that option, enter the owner password when asked, and click Apply. Work on a duplicate if you want to keep the protected original.

Windows: print a copy to PDF

If you can open the file and printing is allowed, printing it to the Microsoft Print to PDF printer usually gives you a new PDF without the password. The trade-off is that a printed copy can lose links, bookmarks and fillable form fields, because the pages are redrawn as a printout. Unlock PDF keeps those, since it only removes the encryption.

iPhone and Android

Open Unlock PDF in Safari or Chrome, choose the file from Files or your file manager, type the password and download the unlocked copy. Nothing needs to be installed.

Common problems and fixes

Once a file is unlocked, other tools can work on it. Merge PDF will combine it with other documents, PDF to Word can turn it into editable text, and Redact PDF can remove account numbers before you share it. If the file goes on to anyone else, protect it again: our guide on password-protecting a PDF with a strong password covers choosing one that holds.

Frequently asked questions

Is it legal to remove a password from a PDF?

Unlocking your own files, or files you were given the password for, is the normal use. Removing protection from a document someone else locked, without permission, may break the terms you received it under and, in some countries, the law. When in doubt, ask the sender.

Can I unlock a PDF without the password?

Only if it has just a permissions (owner) password, which blocks printing or copying but lets the file open. Unlock PDF lifts those restrictions without a password. A file that will not open at all needs its open password; no honest tool can skip it.

What is the difference between a user password and an owner password?

The user password, also called the open password, must be typed before the PDF displays. The owner password, also called the permissions password, controls actions such as printing, copying, editing and commenting, but the pages still open.

Does unlocking a PDF change its content?

No. Unlock PDF copies the pages, fonts, images, bookmarks and form fields as they are and only drops the encryption and permission flags. The page count and layout stay the same.

Can I unlock a PDF on my phone?

Yes. Unlock PDF works in Safari on iPhone and Chrome on Android. Choose the file, type the password if it asks for one, tap Unlock PDF and download the copy.